Tina Leonard - His Callahan Bride's Baby

“Marry Me, Taylor.”

Those aren’t the three little words Taylor Waters longs to hear from her crush, Falcon Chacon Callahan. The whole town knows the soldier-turned-rancher just needs a bride in order to inherit the coveted spread north of Rancho Diablo. Taylor wants more—even if Falcon is the hottest cowboy this side of the New Mexico border, which he proves one crazy, passionate night!

Family has always come first for Falcon, so when he finds out Taylor is pregnant with his baby, he declares a brand-new mission: to stand and fight for what’s his. It will take maneuvering through some dangerous situations—and that legendary Callahan charm—to make Diablo’s best girl fall in love with him. But to have his ranch at stake is one thing…what about his heart?

“You’re officially reneging on your proposal?”

Falcon nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

“All right.” Taylor took a deep breath and stepped close to him. She poked a finger in his chest, and he’d never wanted to grab her and kiss her senseless as badly as he did at that moment. “Listen to me, you big chicken. I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on earth.”

Thankfully she hadn’t come to tell him she’d picked another bachelor and was ducking out of the so-called agreement. That had been his greatest fear when she’d pulled up in the Jeep. The relief was practically blinding.

“Okay,” he said, smelling her sweet perfume. “I accept that.”

“You will accept it, because I’m not giving you a choice.” Her eyes flashed at him. “I’m having a baby, and the last thing I’d ever do is to marry a chickenhearted weasel who’s scared to death of his own feelings.”

Falcon felt as if a boulder from the canyons had fallen on him, crushing him. He could barely breathe. “A baby? My baby?”

Dear Reader,

The Callahans love their family, their land and the Diablo mustangs that run free through the New Mexico canyons. In this newest chapter of the Callahan legend, Falcon Chacon Callahan has had his eye on Taylor Waters for a long time, but the independent brunette isn’t exactly the kind of woman who’s ready to make a run to the altar. Taylor likes the rangy, sexy cowboy, but everyone knows that Falcon—like all the Callahans—is wild at heart. Will their love unite them against the evil forces swirling around Rancho Diablo? Or are Taylor and Falcon destined to be the first who elude Aunt Fiona’s matchmaking magic?

As the first warmth of spring begins to tease us from our winter hibernation, I hope you will enjoy riding the range with Taylor and Falcon. The lore of the Diablo mustangs is a rich part of the tapestry of Rancho Diablo, and it’s my greatest wish that you enjoy discovering the mystical call of their spirits with these hard-loving cowboys.

Much love,

Tina

www.tinaleonard.com www.facebook.com/tinaleonardbooks

His Callahan Bride's Baby

Tina Leonard

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tina Leonard is a USA TODAY bestselling and award-winning author of more than fifty projects, including several popular miniseries for Harlequin American Romance. Known for bad-boy heroes and smart, adventurous heroines, her books have made the USA TODAY, Waldenbooks, Ingram and Nielsen BookScan bestseller lists. Born on a military base, Tina lived in many states before eventually marrying the boy who did her crayon printing for her in the first grade. You can visit her at www.tinaleonard.com, at www.facebook.com/tinaleonardbooksand www.twitter.com/tina_leonard.

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Best wishes to Kathleen Scheibling and Roberta Brown for believing in the Callahan series, and also to my children, Lisa and Dean, who are my own personal dream. Last though never least, my best wishes to the wonderful readers who have supported my writing and my dreams for so many years. Thank you to each and every one of you for being the most kind and dedicated readers on the planet.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Epilogue

Excerpt

Chapter One

“The thing about the Callahans is that if they call you friend, there’s nothing they won’t do for you. But woe if they call you enemy .”

—Bode Jenkins, talking to a reporter

Rumor had it that Taylor Waters was one of Diablo’s “best” girls. She had a reputation for being wild at heart. Untamable. Men threw their hearts at her feet.

She walked on those hearts with a sweet-natured smile, and guys ate it up with a spoon.

Falcon Chacon Callahan studied the well-built brunette in Banger’s Bait and Tackle. He’d talked the owner of the diner, Jillian, into selling him one last beer, even though the diner usually closed at the stroke of midnight on weekends. It was his Saturday night and he hadn’t wanted to do anything but relax and consider what he was going to do with his life once his job at Rancho Diablo was over.

Taylor was a more immediate interest. She smiled that cute pixie smile at him, and Falcon sipped his beer, deciding on a whim—some might call it a hunch—to toss his heart into the Taylor-tizzy. Intuition had been known to save his life on several occasions, so Falcon believed in living by his spontaneous side. “I need a wife,” he said, and she grinned.

“So I hear. So we all hear.” She came and sat on the bar stool next to him. “You’ll get it figured out eventually, Falcon.”

Taylor worked hard to support herself and to help out her sick mother. There was no Pop Waters anymore, just mother and daughter trying to manage things on their own. Falcon understood how tough it was to be without a parent. “Marry me, Taylor.”

“I’ve only served you three beers and a plate of fajitas. I know you’re not drunk enough to propose, Falcon. You’re just crazy, as everyone in Diablo already knows.” She smiled so adorably all the sting fled her words. In fact, she was so cute that Falcon felt his chest expand with admiration.

“I leave crazy to my brothers. My sister is the nutty one. Me, I’m somewhere on the other side of the spectrum.” He leaned over and kissed Taylor lightly on the lips, not caring anymore that he had spent much of his life avoiding the marriage trap. To win the land north of Rancho Diablo, across the deep, winding canyons, he had to have a wife and family. Taylor would do just fine. She packed a generous fanny, and he thought that boded well for childbearing. She also had a nice rack, and that boded well for him.

He grinned. “What’s your answer, cupcake?”

“You’re not serious.” Taylor shook her head. “I’ve known you for over a year. Of all the Callahans, you’re the one the town’s got odds on being last to the altar.” She got up, sashaying to the register. His eyes followed her movements hungrily. “A girl would be a fool to fall for you, Falcon Callahan.”